Soap dispenser



Nov. 28, 1933. FREEDMAN 1,937,014

SOAP DISPENSER Filed Sept. 15, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 MW W1 WWW INVENTOR ATTORNEY Nov. 28, 1933. H. B. FREEDMAN SOAP DISPENSER 1' Filed Sept. 13, 1952 s Sheets-Sheet 2 40 11v VENTOR G6 5 6 H. B. FREEDMAN SOAP DISPENSER Nov. 28, 1933.

Filed Sept. 13. 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 {INVENTOR ,4 TTORNEV pumice soap.

Patented Nov. 28, 1933 soAPpIsPENsEn If r t HermanB;Freedmamlflrooklyn, N. Y., as signor to Freebur Products N.' J., a corporation or company,- Elizabeth} New Jersey" I Claims." A ('01; 146-61 v.

This invention relates .to soap dispensers-in which cake soap is'pulverized-and delivered to .theuser. The best grades of soaparesolid at ordinary} 'figtemperatures and are-sold incakes of convenient size. Germs can be conveyed'from one person to another using the same cake .of soap,and the: use of cakes in public and semiepublic washrooms is, therefore, objectionable if the:cakes gare handled. Oftentha soap iswastedor stolen,

Various forms of liquid soap dispensers have been devised, but liquid soap is .of inferior quality and necessarily contains an adulterant for keeping it in liquid form.. Devicesforcdispensing soap; 5j powderare inconvenient to fill, and likely toibe unreliable in use. .i The principal object of this invention'is to: provide. a practical and economical soap dis-i penser using cake soapand dispensing it in pul-. verized form. Such a dispenser .can. be-usedwiththe best grades of soap,-and has the further advantage that cakes are the mostv convenientform of soap for refilling dispensers.

7 Another object of'the invention-is'to provide :a soap dispenser with a cutter-for pulverizing the soap, the cutter being of special design to keep the soap cake properly, centered in thedispense casing.v This insures an'even ,cuttingz of thesoap, prevents edges of the soap from breaking off,;and 'j makes it impossible for the cake to becomedislodged sidewa'ysso that it wedges orjams against.

, the Walls of the casing and does not feed against the cutter. Another object is to provide ar; cornbination in which the cutters areeasily removed 5" and replaced when worn... This is an important.v

feature because any cutter will;-wear- =rapidly when pulverizing pumice soap, but the, pro-- vision for convenient replacement of cutters makes it practical to .use. the j dispenser, with It is ancbject of this invention, to insure. against theft of the soap dispenser. by providing, concealed fastening means for. securing .the dispenser to a supporting wall, access to thejfasten Y ing means beingpossible onlywhen the dispenser. is open. A lock is provided to prevent .opening. n of the device-by unauthorized PBISOHSQfaIIQ 'B; countersunk door prevents forcing; of the look by prying the door open. a I Another object of the invention is to provide'a compact combination of elements so that the dispenserwill occupy comparatively littlespace and can be located within convenient reach of awash-basin;

Another object is togprov e. a soandisp nse Fig. 4 is a view similarto Fig; l

1 Fig.5 isa section the cake of: soap removed;

be made smaller than would be otherwise necesg which requires cakegsoap of novelcross-sectional contour and which, will ,not operate. with con-1* ventionalcakes 'of soap,- Another objectis to. provide a cake of soap suitable for use 'with'such adispenser.

Other objects; features and advan a es of the inventi n W111.app a o be. oi ed o a the. 'sp cificationp o d -q theraccompany ned awi sfo r hereofq, r

Fig; '1 is a" front elevation of a soap dispenser designed in accordance with this invention; f Fig. 2, is a side elevationof the'soap dispenser shown in Fig.-j1; V Fig.3 is a perspectiveview of. a cake of soap of special form for use in the-soap dispenser. shownin the other views butwith part; of; the frontwall and doorof' the casingbrokenc awayto show the interior, andwith other struc-- ture behind the front wall-and doorshown in dotted lines;

o the line 5-5 of Fig. sw s .Eig; 6*is a section on the line 6- 6 of,Fig." 4 Q l'F -g-g jis a and-:1-

. i 11-. Fig. 8 is a s'ection onxthe line '38 of Fig 4 .The soap dispenserlincludes a casingllhav; ing a fillingopening closedby a, door- 12, which canlbegopenedfor inserting a cake of soap into the casing. A feeder platform'li ,(Fig. 6) has [guides-16, which bear, againstthe insidewalls of; the casing and hold the feeder platformagainst turning or twisl'lin sin the casing; vbut permit, 99;; 7 free vertical sliding movement ofthe plat'form g, r

A compression spring 18 urges. the platform,

14 downwardly iin the casin and the platform and spring constitute feeder means 1101' holding a cakepf soap 1 9 incontact-with a cutter; The .1.

backwall of the casinghas a slot 29, anda handle 30. extends through this slot., The handle is 7 connected tothe platformsi i and is used to move t e o m-;i nwar y-int e in p pa ry to inserting .a cakeof soap. The upper end ch 9!) the spring :18 is tapered, each turn being smaller than theprecedin'g turn. so that when the spring ar'spring -of constant, cross s'ection, and because of this reduction, ;in the: Space; required for {the s ri the vert l; he h :efrthw inei 321" sary.

s t mo -the line 7+7 of .Fig. 6

' in properly centering the cake in the casing, as

will be more fully described. The other end of;

the cake is flat forcontact with thefeeder platform. ,A, groove 21 in the face of the cake permitsfthe soap to move past a raised surface 'on' the inside of the casing which would obstruct the passage of the soap if there were no groove. 1,

' tacts with theseset-back edges 56 when the door closed. The back face of the door 12 is thus The dispenser can be designed to require cakes of any desired cross-sectional contour, or to. operate with conventional cakes. I

An important purpose in requiring special soap is to insure the best operation of the dispenser;

A dry soap ,is most effectively pulverized by the cutter of the dispenser. A wet, sticky soap'may' latches 54 are released. V

The latches 54 are pivotally supported on studs '60 carried by a plate 62 which has its edges bent fill the cutter and even clog the discharge opening. By requiring the dispenser to be used only with cakes of soap made especially for it, there is no danger of the W-I'Ollg; grade of soap being placed in the casing andthe operation of j the L dispenser impaired.

' A shaft 31 (Figs; 4"and 6) i's'frotatably: supv25 ported in the lower end of'the casing 11, and a handle 32 is connected with the. shaft. 'A- cut ter 34 is carried by the shaft'31. The cutter com-f prises a sleeve 36, which fits over the shaft 31, and

V "aplurality of helical blades 38-a'nd'40', connected to the sleeve and spaced apart from one another at their hub portions by spacing washers ll.

The cutter 341s operatively'connected with 1 the shaft 31by pins 42. 'Qther operative connec- I tions between the cutter 34 and shaft 31' can be used, but I prefertofus'epins because they provide a positive'connecti'on which cannot become loose so that the shaft will turn without rotating the cutter. An important advantage of the Acutter can be removed by taking out the pins 7 42, withdrawing the shaftv 31 to the right,;and

then lifting the cutter out through the filling opening. A new cutter is then inserted in the casing and the shaft 31 and pins replaced to hold the new'cutter. I

' Each of the blades "38 extends-asa right-hand screw and each of the blades 40fas a left-hand screw. Anequal number'of the right and left -of soap into'the' casing 11 whenever thecake-in hand blades as and 40 ,contact with the lower V 0 blades.

end of the-soap 19. "As the cutter-rotatesthe side thrust of theb1ades38', which tends to move the soap to theright or left; depending on the direction of rotation, is balanced by an equal and opposite side thrust from the blades" 40.--' The helical blades cut across the end of the soap,

therefore; withoutany resultant force itending to move the soap to either side; As a further provision forkeepi'ng the lower end of the cake "of 'soapcentered in the casing, 65

the diameter .of'the cutter '34 is'madesmal1est at its center portion; and progressively large tog ward both ends; This form of cutter keepsthe 'thelsoap would be delivered' into the palm of the;

'users hand; and not across thef handzon to the floor or basin.

12' provides a-guide surface at the front of the raised surface onthe back of the plate 62 1,937.01 V e V The feeder platform 14ha's downwardly pro- 5 jecting lugs 48, which hold the upper end of the cake of soap centered in the casing, between the side walls of the casing, and prevent 'th'esoap from rubbing against these walls. r g

The; door 12' over the filling opening, is connected to the casing by hinges 52, and has latches 54 for looking it closed. The casing has setback edges 56 (Fig. '5) along the sides of the filling opening, and the back of the door" 12conbelowthe front surface of thecasing, and the door thrffoie coiintersunk so that sharp instruments-can not bedriven between the door and front of the casing to wedge the. door open.

'A spring :58 (Fig. 4) opens the door 12 when the forwardly and connected with the' door 12' by spot welding. A spring 66 holds the latches 54 in looking position with their lower ends eXtend-.:

- ing below the'bottom edge of; the door 12. When 1 'thejdoor is closed; the latches 54 extend below 1100 the bottomedge of the fillingopening :and lock the door 12 against opening." The useof two, latches at spaced-apart points locks the door more securely than a single latch, because with i e a casingor door of thinimaterial'it would be-possible to bend the casing or door sufiiciently'to open a single-latch lock whereas it is not. possible.

to do so with the double spaced-apart latches 54. Bothof the latches must beraised before the'door v can'be opened because if? one latch only is'raised'flo it willraise one end of the spring 66 and the opposite end of the spring will force the other latch further down.

Each of the-latches 54 alever 7 0 extending beyondits stud 60. These'levers'lo extend to the middle of the door, where one of them overlies the other. Theplate 62 has "a slot '72 extending from the top edge to a point slightlyqbelow the tops of the overlying ends of the levers 70'.

the casing isalmost all cut'away andithe feeder platform has moved down to the lowerend of the; soap chamber.- I 1 The back-wall '75 of the casing is bent along its'mid po'rtion (Figs. 5 and 6) toprovide a.guide surface 78 for thecake of soap, if the lower end of the cake slopes toward the back-of the ,cas-

- ing becauseof rotation of the cutter in that,

direction. The plate 62'onthe back ofthe door cake, and these front-and back guide surfaces hold the, lower end'of the cake centered over the cutter 34 so thatthe soap'contacts with a "cen'e tral'arc over the axisof the cutterand cannot become wedged between the cutter'andthe front or b ack" of the casing. 145

gives the cross-section of thesoap chamber an irregular contour. The groove 21in the face of the soap is in position to receive the raised sure downwardly in thecasing. If a conventional I I holding a cake of. soap; a rotary cutter in'the casing, the cutter having edges, a portion ofremoved from the back wall.

62 does not prevent the cake 19 from being fed cake of soap, having a continuous fiat faceor a continuous convex surface, is placedin the casing 11 and the door 12 is closed, the raised surface digs into'the surface of the cake and prevents it from feeding downwardly against the cutter.

Thus the raised surface 80 makes it necessary to use a special cake of soap which is molded or cut.

side walls of the casing extend inwardly to over-' lie the front'face of the back wall 75. These edges 88 are secured to the back wall by screws 90. The back edge 92 of the top portion of the casing is bent over behind the back wall 75.

Ears 94 on the lower parts of the side walls extend behind the back wall '75 (Figs. Sand 7).

I When the screws are removed, the back wall can be slid downwardly with respect to the casing, the edges 88 and ears 94 serving as front and rear guides, respectively. v

The back wall 75 is secured to upper and lower brackets 96; 7 These brackets are hollow and are connected to a panel 9'7. The soap dispenser is secured to a supporting wall 98 by screws 99 extending through the back wall 75, hollow brackets 96, and into the supporting wall 98. The screws 99 are driven into the wall when-thecasing is After the back wall, brackets and panel 9'7 havebe'en secured to the supporting wall 98, the casing is replaced on the back wall 75, and the heads of the screws 99,

are not accessible for removal of the screws from the wall 98. In order to reach the screws 99, it

' is necessary to take the forward part of the casing oif the back wall '75, and this can not be done without removing the screws 90. These screws 90 are not accessible unless thedoor 12 is open, and this door is locked except when 'openedto refill the casing. A lock with key can be substituted for the automatic lock on the door 12, and the door and filling opening can be in a side wall instead of the front wall, if desired.

The back of the panel 9'7 is recessed so that if the dispenser is to be fastened to a supporting wall by cement, instead of screws, the recess in the panel houses an insert used in cementing the panel to a wall. The brackets 96 space the casing 11 far enough from the supporting wall so that the knuckles of a person turning the handle 32 do not strike the wall.

The tops of the casing 11 and panel 97' are curved so 'thatthey can not be used as a con-' venient rest for glasses, cigarette butts, or other articles which might damage the finish of the dispenser or fall off and strike a person operating the handle 32. g The form of the casing, springs, brackets and other parts of the preferred embodiment can be changed, however, and various features of the invention can be used alone or in combination with other features, without departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims.

7 against the cutter."

Iclaim: v a 1.'A soap dispenser comprising a casing for.

which extend as a right-hand screw and another portionof which extend as a left-hand screw, the diameter of the cutter being least at its midportion and increasing progressively to a maximum at each end of the cutter; and feeder mechanism within the casing for moving the soap cake toward the cutter.

2. A soap dispenser including, in combination, 7

a container for a cake of soap; a rotary cutter for cutting soap from one end of the cake, the cutter comprising a plurality of helical blades, including anequal number of right and lefthandhelices' which cut thesoap simultaneously, the diameters of the helices being leastat the mid-portionof the cutter and being progressively: greater toward each end of the cutter; and a feeder for holding thesoap against the cutter. i 3. A soap dispenser including,- in combination, a casing for holding a cake of soap; means for pulverizing the soap for delivery through a discharge opening in thecasing, a handle on the' outside of the casing for operating the pulverizing means, a panel for contact with a wall to which the dispenser is to be connected, said panel having openings to permit the passage of fastening means; hollow brackets secured to'the cas-" ing and panel in register with the openings in the panel for holding the'casing in spaced rela-' tion to the panel so that there is suflicient clear ance foroperating the handlewithoutstriking the wall; and means comprising screwsextend ing through said hollow brackets and through i the openingsin said panel and havingtheir heads 9 within said casing and their opposite. ends, en gaging within a supporting wall for securing said dispenser to said wall. a j

4. A' soap dispenser 'comprisinga-wall panel) a soap receiving casing secured'to said'wall panel and including a rear supporting plate and a hous ing removably secured thereto said housing having therein an opening normally closed by 2,120

door; a cutter rotatably journaled in said-house ing ,for pulverizing a cake of soap for delivery.

through a discharge opening therein; a handle at one side of said casing for operating thecut ter; tubular brackets connecting saidwall panel 12 5 removable housing and accessibleonly through 'the normally 'closed opening in said housing. i

-5. A soap dispenser comprising a casingjfor 13 5 holding a cake of soap; a rotarycuttermounted" I 1 in said casing and comprising arshaft, a sleeve carried by said shaft and a plurality of helical blades carried bysaid sleeve, each bladehaving;

a toothed periphery, the eifective diameter-of said blades progressivelydecreasing from each end toward the center, of the cutter so; that the shape of the cutter holds the soap centered on the cutter; and feeder means for urging the soap HERMAN '13. FREEDMAN. 

